Hey all, DLW here with a new chapter. Thank you to all my readers, follows, fav's and reviews and for your feedback it makes writing all the more fun. And time for a little action in the story, more to come and more at the bottom. Disclaimer: Zootopia and its characters are copyright Disney. (I own none of the characters in the story aside from the O/C's.).

A few responses to reviews

J Shute Norway: I have an addiction to environment building, it just happens and I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Combat Engineer: I know right? but there's a good reason for it.

Niori: Oh I think she'll listen... eventually... hopefully... maybe?

KhaosKyuubi: Glad you're liking it, and Kill Collars are horrible. It's like insult to injury with an electric socket.

Guest: I hope the pacing's better as I'm trying to finish this arc before to long with a story to back Predation XD (on my profile)

The Dystopian Society

Chapter Five: Endeavor

'As the Driven Snow'

"I stand before you and ask. 'When facing our mountain, what is the most important thing to remember?'"

Judy's mind raced with renewed imaginations of their captors, each one more cruel an unprecedented then the last. From one wolf suggesting what she had surmised was Nick's plan, to the other calm and potentially calculating their inevitable demise. She trudged forward, feet embracing the cold towards the outside and the unknown.

She walked just ahead of Nick out of the darkened room and into the blinding light with a paw held high to shield her vision. Wispy powdered flakes of the winter-lands decadently drifted upon them, but she never took her narrowed eyes off of the grey wolf as they reached the threshold of the door. He stood tall, facing away from them both and marched forward as if mechanically guiding them to their fate.

Rounding the corner to the near endless blanket of orangish-white, her eyes fell upon a similar canid to the one that dared to order them. Brown fur mingled with specks of light grey and deep blue eyes, she had no doubt that this wolf carried the voice that threatened them moments ago. He stared at her menacingly, crumpling his nose and flashing his fangs to emit an intimidating snarl. Had she not been so upset, she may have tried to at least take a step back as a precaution.

The pathway he stood on was lightly frosted by falling snow. Though it had seemingly been cleared earlier as it was dug out, it would be an effort in futility to keep it fully untouched by snowfall as the district's winter never came short of perpetual. She could see various tracks leading towards them, likely from the pair of wolves, sunk into the ground with ease. Either side of the path had been piled high with mounds and hills of snow, barely shown to have been touched, but glimmered graciously in the early morning light.

Further down the path was a large and welcoming building. Though oddly steeped in shape, from the glow of light that cradled its form and open windows nestled in deep rolls of snow-like floors, it felt as though it should be on display as a work of art in a museum and not simply a towering structure to the greying heavens above.

Billowing stacks of smoke rose from its many chimneys to show all present that it was surely warmer inside despite the harsh necessities of their environment. For it was always truly winter in Tundra Town, and no matter the mammal, they were all truly at the mercy of nature.

Her footsteps made their pace known, willing to move forward yet cautious to give her even a moments notice to plan an escape. From her earlier check that produced nothing on her person save for her badge, she couldn't think of a worse situation to have been in other than long gone. It was a start at least, the possibility that her police work could somehow egress them from the situation was slim; though the chance of it being exacerbated was equally present still.

Focused ahead and feet lightly treading and crunching the snow, she watched the grey wolf reach out his paw to the other to drag the unwilling wolf in the right direction. Thankful to some point that he kept moving forward, she had too much to think about for anyone to stare and distract her for long.

Though not at ease, she huffed to relieve her latent stress and rally her mind for what lay ahead. The rattle of her chained paw helped sooth her if only for the much-needed rhythm that it brought. She slowly found her pace matching that, but far more, slowing down as to let herself shuffle alongside the fox for reasons she couldn't describe.

They had only been out of the room for a moment when she heard the hum of the machine die down, its deafening noise replaced by another far more somber tone. She tilted her head to see the fox, freshly powered snow beginning to adorn his features from ear to tail. His breath, like hers, pooled in cloudy mist as his nostrils flared.

She watched him carefully, his eyes never meeting hers yet permanently fixed to where he was walking. From the small glimmer of his emerald eyes reflecting off the glowing snow, she could tell he was deep in thought; even his muzzle had curled from the jubilant fox that she had seen at the diner, to a despondent shadow of what she had seen him as, cowering in a corner. He was lifeless, mellow... broken.

Judy's unconscious thought, that voice that warned her had vanished with what she had witnessed earlier. With what she had experienced first hand both literally and metaphorically, it was a difficult thing to comprehend. She had never even heard such a sound from a predator, more so a fox. Such a weakness as she thought they were incapable of, it wasn't in their nature. Yet there Nick walked silently, sulking.

It was as if everything she knew, or perhaps had come to know, had been silenced within the confines of his outcry. Her paws swayed themselves while she looked deeper towards him, not judging him or hoping to now, but simply watching.

'Foxes are red, because they were made by the devil!'

The remnants of that voice still lingered, instilled in her heart and never letting go. Yet, even in the midst of this voice, she realized one thing about that statement; devils never cry and certainly not for their mothers.

Lost in what to say to gain his attention and question his thought about their predicament, a sudden dull pain coursed through her head, forcing her paw to clutch the base of her ear and apply pressure. Though the cold fresh powdered snow pelting her helped to alleviate the ache, the feeling and shadowed fragments of memory that it brought made her feel worse. They were walking to her cruiser one moment, and there was panic in the next; she woke up terrified of Nick holding her close to a machine, and then, in their argument, he had figured her out. So much happened so quickly that it was difficult for her to process.

Visibly frustrated and squinting her eyes as she rubbed and scratched her head, she never noticed the fox peering over towards her.

'You may have a concussion.'

His voice was not more than a whisper above the crunch of snow to her honed ears, but it forced her to glance his way. Her focus immediately fell on his features, emerald eyes worried and tired; his ears pinned back while he tried to form the weakest of smiles.

It was something that she wasn't used to and shuddered at the strange feeling. Unable to identify what it was, she chucked it up to the sheer and biting cold that made its home around them.

The dullness in her head slowly dying, she shook her head thought. If that was true, then visiting a hospital was a top priority. Staying in peak condition was a must for any officer of the force.

Though even as she mulled over this, the questions looming in the midst of her mind flooded back to her reality. Engaged in the scenario and unable to escape as of yet, her eyes focused on him and she whispered back. 'You think a wolf might have been involved with what happened at the park?'

The first thing she noticed was that Nick's focus left her in an instant, instead landing on the two silent canids guiding them. The scowl appearing on his muzzle with a flash of his fangs didn't make her flinch but brought a sense of equalized anger if it meant that another was potentially involved despite his conviction.

Parting his lips to speak, his glossy gaze beckoned to the snow kicked up by his feet. A new vigor coursed through his paws, forcing them to clutch themselves while his tail wrung a path of its own.

'...Yeah.'

She could easily detect the bitterness of his speck of an answer, like a winter squall amidst fallen leaves.

Blinking at the prospect, but not denying his sustained guilt in the scenario, her renewed anger flexed her her focus automatically. As if marching to its own tempo, her parting lips outpaced her cautious thought. 'You think they abducted us?'

Her head tilted to the wolves, though the question was more so aimed at their archetype n general. His ears perked up only slightly, but he fully understood what she had implied.

'...Probably.'

Again with the simplest of answers and the slight shift of body-signals, Judy nodded. While no immediate ideas came to her of escape as it the deep snow would be impossible to traverse, the imbedded questions within her still pressed forward without caution.

She leaned over to whisper. 'Any idea why?' She had done so in a moment when the wolves were focused forward, rounding the edge of the pathway and closing in on the building.

Seemingly lost in thought, the reynard skipped a step, sending fallen snow in a heap in front of them while he recovered. The chain that bound them tugged gently, as he moved to regain his balance. Judy, however, didn't falter as she hopped a step forward and to keep herself from being dragged across the frigid ground.

The moment over and his face stalwart towards the building, Nick swallowed; his expression stagnant and mouth agape. 'I...' He tried to find the right combination of words but instead rubbed behind his ear to where he felt the pressure from before. 'May... owe their boss.'

His hesitation in answering was what had told her that it was potentially worse than what she had hoped. It was one thing to be captured and handed off to an unknown fate by predators, but it was a different set of scenarios in their entire to be indebted and kidnapped under the same occasion.

Biting her lip with her larger set of teeth, she choked back her inhibitions to pry further. 'Who's their boss?'

Nick, taken aback at her forward question, looked around as if to see if anyone was watching them. Though it was no more than the two wolves, the snow and the appearance of large doors to one of the buildings presumed entrances, his air of caution was oddly serious.

Leaning over after ensuring that the coast was clear, his foreboding sense left Judy in quiet wait. Not more than a foot had they traveled before he begrudgingly answered. 'His name's Koslov.'

Her ears must have betrayed her as they straightened themselves towards the fox. Grey fur standing on end to embrace the cold further, and lavender eyes now soaking in more sunlight than needed, the doe went slack-jawed at the revelation.

"That mob boss!?"

Even as she shouted, forcing few snowflakes from taking their residence on her, she could tell that Nick was serious about his favor owed. Wishfully, however, she had hoped for something less drastic.

"Hey! Keep it down back there." She heard ahead of her.

Glaring ahead, Judy saw the brown wolf keenly eyeing them, flashing his fangs and pointing a paw at them to keep silent. There was nothing that she could truly do to stop the wolf from telling her, a cop, what to do. Compliant until she could figure a way out, she kept quiet but mulled over the thought in her mind.

From what she heard about Koslov, a polar bear, he was a ruthless mobster that have caused the police trouble for years. The Tundra Town Police Department, Precinct Four, was the main faction that investigated him on a daily. His crimes, still unable to be traced, included a number of: arsons, disappearances, smugglings, money launderings, and so many more heinous acts that when she last saw his investigative files, it nearly crashed her computer. If Nick was involved as he said he was, then no doubt existed in her mind that it was him that brought them here; meeting this criminal meant that death awaited them in the confines of the building.

The cold shiver that struck her at that moment had nothing to do with the weather. It was the sense of dread that one would receive with the end of their lives presented to them moments before it was issued. Koslov would be this end if she didn't act.

Various ideas about how to escape eluded her at every angle. Sure, alone she could make it bearing the difficulties that came with traversing the snow. With Nick literally chaining her down, it was impossible no matter how she tried to rewrite the scene. No weapon or escape route, they were trapped for now.

Her escape plans on the shelf, the group reached the pair of intricate doors to the towering structure. Dark solid wood doors lightly frosted from the morning cold, its stone archway an ominous welcome with blue lighting all around. Trimmed plants edged its enclosure, yet their green was speckled with powdered snow.

The wolves stopped at a panel to the doors side a foot away with Judy and Nick following suit. Without notifying the smaller mammals of their actions, the grey wolf keyed in a few numbers and waited. Their pause, a quiet reprieve from the sound of snow being crushed under their feet, gave Judy time to think of what to follow up in her questions.

'Why wasn't that on your record?' She whispered to the distraught fox, wolves focused on the clicking sound the door made.

In moments, the door creaked ajar, welcoming the group with a crisp chill much like the temperature outside. The wolves happily walked forward, with the grey coated one turning to wave them inward. No other option, Judy hesitantly stepped inside with Nick begrudgingly following.

Her hopes of being warm were shot down the instant she stepped through the threshold of the door. While not inherently as cold as the outside, it did little to stave off the biting sting of winter on her, fur and all.

Breath icy and toes near freezing, the first thing Judy noticed when she walked in was the immaculate design of the area. It was a large and filled space with decor of all kinds. Several plants sat evenly down rows, bluish-green in color and standing firm against the cold. Vases, pictures adorned stands and walls to fill in the gaps. Some ice sculptures, ranging from: bears, wolves, and a few foxes, saluted them as they passed.

Down the hallway they strode, vibrant glass chandeliers cast blue hues to the surrounding area. To the untrained eye, one would say that they were purely made of ice.

The walls themselves were a series of arches and pillars with crisscrossing sets of octagonal floral patterns. While somewhat almost deliberately mundane, the etchings reflected the ambient light perfectly to make them all seem like arrays of polished jewels; set and stretching out as far as one could see.

Even the floor, misty from the cold and devoid of any such speck of dust and debris, carried glistening sparkles of frost on its finely colored surface. Though no clear pattern was present, the subtle curves and sways of deep blue and partial tents of red and violet helped to exemplify a clear night with a setting sun.

'It was a favor.' Nick whispered back with Judy twisting her ear towards him. The chill he felt was real as he spoke, the surrounding doing him no comfort. 'He wanted me to host his son's birthday party because he loaned me the money, to begin with.' He leaned in, paw-cuffs jingling and a cruel irony of the reminder of debt. 'And you don't betray Koslov.'

With a frosted sigh, he turned to face ahead; silently thankful that the wolves quietly padded along. He didn't want to venture further into what would most assuredly be his fate, but the other alternative was to freeze first. Not that that would have been a bad option in his eyes.

New information and new gaps made, Judy recalled what she knew about the bear in question. She didn't know he had a son, she didn't know much about the bear aside from his criminal record. It was interesting to her, however, that Koslov would have risked showing his face in public for the sake of his son.

Focused ahead with a burning question on the tip of her tongue to fight against the winters fury, she leaned towards Nick to investigate further. 'When was his birthday?'

Eyeing Judy nervously, Nick thought deeply. He could never forget the bears birthday, after all, Koslov ensured that. 'February fifth,' He whispered, his own ears perking up at what he said; he himself unable to believe it. 'So that would be today...' He tore his head away from her and placed a paw square on his forehead. The panful bump welcoming the fresh touch proved more useful as a reminder to what was around the corner of his fate. 'He's gonna kill me.'

Motions spent and answers told, Nick sighed out of the sheer frustration he felt and how it got this far. Though he couldn't tell by looking at her, Judy's expression of concern had a twinge of regret attached. For in her mind, the change of date meant more than a fresh start and renewed chance at one's goals; with no sense of when it was, they could be in grave danger in seconds.

Swallowing the lump in her throat at the 'if and when' of Nick's kill collar should time run out, Judy had to plan for getting them out by at least finding 'when' if it was too late and deal with the 'if' when it happened. Neither outcome seemed good, but at least she had to get a good idea of the exact time it would execute.

She remembered how Nick told her it went off several times before it had little time left, and how the first alarm triggered at around 6:30 PM the night before. If it was already early morning now and no warning had sounded since they woke up, then they had to have at least a few hours left. How many was still a mystery.

With no watch, phone, or gear, she didn't have the slightest inkling of a clue as to the time. Not even in the great hallways they passed did she see a single clock, frozen hand or not. She sighed and thought of the only other option to know their 'whenabout's' and hopefully make it in time should they escape. Not too happy at what she would do, she figured she may as well give it a shot. Besides, the worst the wolves could do was the same outcome if Nick's kill collar timed out.

Perking her stance up and clearing her throat, she jogged a few steps forward. Though Nick was dragged along, it did little to stop her from catching the attention of the wolves.

"You two wouldn't happen to know what time it is, would you?"" She asked ahead, causing the two hulking canines to stop in their tracks at the mouth of an atrium.

The two stood still, eyeing her momentarily before the brown broke away and one took a step forward. "Shut it, rabbit!" He growled, his stance aggressive and, the collar at his neck yellow. His abrasive posture didn't intimidate Judy, but she felt the chain at her side shift with Nick taking a step back.

Before the wolf was even able to go a step further, his assumed partner, the grey wolf, intervened by placing a paw on his shoulder. The aggressive wolf's attention diverted and the grey wolf staring him down and whispering something, tension quickly dissipated. The grey wolf pointed behind him to a set of stairs leading up, and the brown wolf grit his teeth and walked away.

Sighing and shaking his head at the spectacle, the wolf pulled out his phone and stared blankly at Judy.

"Eight o' five." He replied firmly, placing the phone back and motioning them forward.

Though Judy was thankful that the time was earlier than she thought, she noticed a tensing in the chain attached to her. Curious, she turned to see Nick visibly cringing at the mention of time and his tame collar blinking yellow. While yes, the did have a little time on their side, knowing would be about the same as not knowing; the fact that minutes tick away to your death sentence is unsettling.

Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, Judy tugged their bind to snap him out of his panic. He focused ahead, clearly upset that hours were left with no potential way out. He could only move on and hope for something to change.

At the base of the staircase that the wolf had led them to, the group began their ascent. The grandiose steps were as lavish as the hall they left. While similar in color, their design was nothing but extravagant. Small etched figures adorned the banisters and the surface was far smoother than the floor of the ZPD itself. Nearly crystalline in appearance, every clack of their toes was like that of a faint bell ringing. The fine mist that pooled down from their peak along with the narrowing at the top made it seem as though they were climbing a mountain.

Though beautiful as it was, Judy had little difficult in her climb. Clearly made for larger mammals it was no easy task to hop up each and every stair. By the time they reached the top to a set of elevators and varying corridors, her legs finally felt warm if only from the exercise.

To no surprise, the wolves strode up to the elevator doors, its frame fine stained marble. The grey wolf called the elevator down and stood ready and patiently waiting. The other wolf, however, stared at Judy with a piercing fiery gaze. It was annoying enough to have been there for her, but with this wolf practically breathing down her neck, it made her uncomfortable; he had suggested eating them after all.

After what seemed like forever, the ding of their next transport alerted them. The moment the doors opened, a fine haze pooled out of the bottom, adding to the already nebulous cloud they stood upon. A few wolves stepped out, eyeing the fox and bunny. They took no time to say anything but nod dash down the stairs as if their lives depended on it. In seconds they reached the ground floor and raced down the hallway that Judy and Nick had just left.

Curious as to what the exchange was about, Judy looked up to the wolves but was instead ushered forward by the grey wolf's beckoning. With predators all around her and Nick chained beside her, she had no choice but to follow. She begrudgingly stepped into the elevator, feeling the tension of their chain as it reached its maximum distance, him still just outside momentarily before hearing the click of his nails on the elevator floor. With them both aboard, the grey wolf hit one of the few buttons, instantly shutting the doors and hoisting them upwards.

Judy looked around her, the walls of the chamber almost sterling in their furnishings with a reflective mirror behind them. With nothing else to do, she stared at her reflection to gauge her status further. She easily saw the small bump that adorned the crown of her head, she could definitely go for a visit to the hospital after they were done. Hair missing and coat donned, she was still chained to the renard beside her; though he looked worse for wear than she did as he stared at the ground quietly with his tail curled around his feet.

Before she would have argued with him and told him off at every turn, never attempting to simply talk to him and only demand answers, but now something was... different. Was it because she was chained to him? That he hadn't killed or attack her? Either way, she couldn't tell. From the little she experienced around him, he wasn't like the other foxes she knew; ruthless predators, her natural enemy who only knew how to answer with their fangs.

The slow hum of the elevator gave her time to think of any way to escape. All she had to currently work with was her wit and the fox's slightly larger size. Even if they ran it'd be too hard to get away from the wolves without a weapon, the snow would be another mess to deal with, but from the height, they were presumed to be at it could serve as an advantage in landing if not too high up. The fact still remained though that there was nothing they could currently do, no weapon meant a complete disadvantage.

Sighing at this new shot having falling down on her, her curiosity peaked, and her voice echoed her thought.

Looking up at the grey wolf, she clenched her paws and asked. "What do you want with us?" Her tone almost accusatory, it caught his attention and that of the other.

While the grey wolf stood stoic and silent, almost as if it were her own judgement, his counterpart and partner scowled and showed the slightest hint of his fangs. They were day and night as far as Judy could tell, but she felt no comfort surrounded by predators of either faction.

With a deep sigh, the wolf leaned down to her. "Our boss has a few questions for you." Behind his misted breath, Judy could see the makings of a smile before he pointed to the fox. "And, a few more for Nick here."

The mention of his name, Nick tilted his head up to meet the gaze of the wolf with fears both known and unknown. Had it not been so cold, he would have surely shivered from his horrors realized.

The sound of cackling resounded in the chamber as the brown wolf snickered at the sight. "Yeah, like how quickly you'd freeze to death!" He mocked, pointing at either of them.

Not amused at this, Judy stared straight at him as his jubilant demeanor suddenly dropped. All eyes, even his now enraged friend, stared at him with mixes of emotion. In seconds, he growled at them, reaching inside his overcoat and in one swift motion he drew a taser, aimed squarely at the distraught rabbit.

Her nose twitching as she was face to face with yet another gun aimed at her, she shuffled a step back. While she would have enjoyed the company of her preferred weapon, it being near her face did nothing but fill her with fear.

Immediately, the grey wolf stood and held his paw in front of his arrogant partner. "Knock it off." He shouted, his collar yellowing from the sheer tension of the room.

Barely moving the weapon an inch, the crazed wolf braced himself, harshly shoving his partner away. "Make me!" He screeched, roughly pushing his way to the bunny.

She wasn't the only one to reposition herself as Nick scrambled to find a wall away from the weapon because his life depended on it. Amidst the chaos of the fighting, the brown wolf managed to shove the other into a corner; muzzle first and pained, the grey wolf's collar set off, finishing what would be an intervention.

While Nick pressed himself against the wall, Judy watched and waited for any possible out of the attack. Without a weapon herself, their chances were slim to none. All she had to work with was-

'The chain...' Her mind answered for her.

Small in stature, and contemplating on how to best use it as this was about to be a potential bloody mess for them, Judy braced herself for even the smallest window of opportunity.

Satisfied that that was out of the way, the victorious wolf grinned, huffing and leaning towards them. Waving his weapon dangerously in front of him, he laughed as he neared Judy to intimidate her face to face.

Judy looked at him for a moment, maw open and nearly licking his chops. With a single plan of action in mind, this could be her only chance out of here. She tugged on the chain, bringing nick closer and giving her more slack to work with.

Still mocking, the wolf stood inches away from her face. "And what are you gonna do, little bun-"

In a flash, Judy grabbed hold of her binding and looped it under one of the wolf's larger canines. He didn't have a moment to react to the rabbit hopping onto the tip of his nose as he was too close. She used her small size and strong legs to push off his muzzle and pull the canid's canine with her. Amidst the sudden turnabout, the wolf released both his weapon and a pained howl. Small spats of blood painted the wall behind her just before she landed; a large tooth falling to the ground, clattering as it disappearing into the shallow mist.

"MMNNNHHH!" The wolf screamed, clutching his muzzle in his paws. The penalty for his actions complete with an immediate and well-deserved shock. It forced him to the ground with his ally, sputtering from the multiple levels of pain.

Nick stood slack-jawed at the sight, he had fully expected Judy to be tased or worse. The small smile that grew on his muzzle was more than enough to calm his nerve thought they were still in cold waters.

Taking action with adrenaline coursing through her veins, Judy hatched a partial escape plan. With them still moving up and the wolves down, she scrambled to find the taser that was dropped in the fog. The moment she did and hoisted the cumbersomely large thing in her paws, she adjusted herself to carry it with two paws, much like she did with her net gun. Nodding as she checked the weight, the shifting of the grey wolf getting back up helped her make her next series of decisions.

"No sudden moves." She yelled, aiming the taser at him. Despite his relaxed posture and willingness to comply earlier, she couldn't take any chances. He held his paws up and sat against the wall of the elevator, unmoving though clearly distressed while faced with the weapon.

She backed towards the door, waiting for the elevator to come to a stop with Nick catching on. He was far more nervous than he was willing to admit, but still, they had the upper-hand currently; maybe they'd make it out alive after all.

Soon, the elevator came to a sudden stop, dinging as the doors opened. Judy backed away slowly, only taking a second to stare down a brightly lit hallway before seeing the wolf again. She tilted her head as Nick caught her glance.

"Hit the down button!" She ordered, Nick going wide-eyed at the suggestion and reaching for the floor buttons seconds later.

The next destination called, the pair backed away from the elevator, leaving the grey wolf stunned as he grinned at them. The door closed and they could hear the gears turning as the car made its decent.

"Run!" Judy yelled, taking no time to turn tail and escape while they still had a chance. She didn't have to tell Nick again as he followed suit and bolted down the direction she thought best.

Carrying the gun and embracing the cold, they dashed down the embellished archways. Large statues encompassed them as their toes clacked in unison. Not knowing how far they were in, or how much farther, Judy refused to stop; giving up meant death and she knew that the wolf would summon allies soon.

"Where - are - we going?" She heard behind her, in short, paced breaths.

"We need to find a window."

All her escape plan was that simple. Find a window, hope for snow at the bottom, and get to Precinct Four with news of Koslov. They'd be able to help transport them to the prison in plenty of time to-

Her thought was cut off midway by a sound as thunderous as a stampede from just ahead. Knowing what it was, she made a harsh turn, nearly sliding on the floor and taking the fox with her down another corridor. Wasting no momentum they pressed forward seeing an open archway that led to a balcony. Believing this to be their out, they raced forward, the sound closing on their heels as exited to the outside. It was far colder than she wanted, but she'd have to manage. Setting foot on the cold stone was difficult as fresh snow began to pile. The edge of the great structure was guarded by a dense stone railing that, by the time they reached it, was already iced over.

Sliding towards it and peering over, Judy's heart sank as there was no way they'd be leaving in this route; for far below them rested a deep blue pool of water. If they were to get hypothermia from just standing there, then the fall into the icy blue would surely mean death. Backing down and looking around, she thought of what else she could do. The first thing she noticed, however, was Nick's frozen posture and him staring at the archway blankly; she could guess what was coming.

She turned to fully see a wall of wolves staring at them, each of different markings but all wearing relatively the same wear. She clutched the gun deeply to her chest as they parted way to reveal a much larger wolf than any of them, easily almost twice their size. The wolf, tall and intimidating, stared blankly at the two before shuffling to the side as well; a much smaller figure strode out of the shadows.

"Well well well... What have we here." A voice, feminine and oddly calm carried its way to their ears. Nick shifted uncomfortably, his maw on the verge of opening. "Party crashers? On little Moris's Birthday? How fun."

Judy stared as what appeared to be a white fox stepped out into view. From her judgment, she wasn't as tall as Nick but still stood taller than Judy herself. She wore a black skirt embroidered with a speckled snowflake pattern and a blue vest that was a cross of business casual and relaxed. A green light at her neck contrasted her appearance greatly.

In one paw and slung over her shoulder was a spade shovel, and the other clutched a small pawpsickle that she casually nibbled on. Icy blue eyes carefully watching them as her ears flickered now and again. Her tail swished carelessly in the snow as she paced herself towards them, a bright and welcoming smile beamed from her muzzle.

She stopped a few feet away from them, grinning as she looked back at the wolves she left. "For those of you who were supposed to be guarding the Borscht room to have abandoned your posts, step forward." No response from the canines as they looked carefully at one another, she growled and pointed her shovel at them. "Gary! Larry! I said come here!"

Her order given, two wolves, one white and one grey, nervously stepped forward. They looked back at their comrades with almost pleading eyes, but it was no use as they heard vixen ahead of them faux cough for their attention.

"We-"

"We, what?!" She shouted at them, silencing them in an instant. Her voice still somehow calm and clear as day. "You both know that room needed to be guarded as the machine needs repair."

The two looked down, collars yellow and nervously fiddling with their paws.

The vixen shook her head and shouldered the shovel. "What part of 'Borscht and other products we sell is an essential part of Tundra Towns food source for predators and must be guarded at all times'." She said with a coy smile. "DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!"

Her tone was so powerful that it made Judy's ears ring.

Out of the two wolves, the grey one was the first to speak. "W-we had to go to the funeral ma'am." His posture was somber and uneasy.

"He... he was our friend." The white wolf chimed in but never met her gaze. "He was a brother to us."

The vixen looked at them and sighed "I know." She shifted her stance and looked at the wolf collective. "I needed you two to take over until we had someone replace you. I couldn't give you two a hard task or something out in the open when you both clearly needed time."

The two cringed at their failure, settling for staring at her for the time being as she continued. "I was going to come and get you to watch this myself until later. I can't dig graves and stand guard at the same time." She deftly defended herself. "I was trying to get you two in to see the last few hours of the ceremony and then take the day off."

She sighed and looked back at Judy with a distraught air about her. "I'm sorry I couldn't do this any other way, but the fact stands that we don't have that many to spare."

Not bothering to look back at the wolves she knew, the smile appeared back on her muzzle when she took a few steps forward.

"Nicholas!" She greeted in a cheery tone, the renard giving a nervous grin in response.

"S-snowflake?" He responded, trembling at the mention of the name.

The vixen stopped in her tracks, narrowing her eyes at him before she smiled and bared her fangs at him. "For the last time Nicholas," "It's Snow FELL!" She growled through her teeth.

Judy didn't know how to respond but clutched the gun further. If a fight was to happen, she'd at least get one shot. She leaned over and whispered. "You know her?"

Nick scratched the nape of his neck and nodded with a fake smile. "That's Snow." He answered. "But I just call her Snowflake to mess with her."

Judy recognized the name from before. She remembered when Jack had said something about 'Snow' and Nick mentioned a 'Snowflake' signing a release for him. If that was true, then could this vixen be one in the same? Could 'Snow' be the arctic fox that signed for Nick only to capture them?

"And who is this we have here?" Snow pointed at the quizzical doe. "You're that bunny cop, aren't you?"

She refused to answer but swallowed a dreadful feeling in her throat.

The vixen chuckled and pointed behind her to the wolves. "I got word that you chipped one of my wolves teeth." Her chuckling turned to laughter. "He earned it, though. As much as a fool as ever that Reginald, always biting first without looking. Tragic really."

The mention of his name and status caused the other wolves to burst into fits of laughter. From the information she could gather, it was the name of the wolf she took down in the elevator. It brought a smile to her face to hear that. Without further notice, Judy held the weapon aloft and aimed at the vixen. She'd get answers no matter what.

"Why did you kidnap us and bring us here?" She demanded, failing to see the vixen back down. Instead, the wolves stepped forward before Snow waved a paw at them to halt.

The arctic fox's eyes narrowed and her grin died down. "Hmm?" She hummed sarcastically.

Nick leaned over to say something, but Judy hiked the gun up more. "Don't play dumb, fox. Tell me why you kidnapped us."

The vixen's demeanor dropped instantly, her relaxed and regal look soured to a serious visage.

"Your threats are very cute." She said in a condescending manner while Judy grit her teeth.

"Don't call me cu-"

The vixen instead bit down on the pawpsickle and held out her paw. "Now, if you'd be a dear and hand me the weapon." She demanded through her teeth.

The doe, in turn, clasped her paw on the trigger. "Back off!" She replied in a low and demanding tone.

Nick stood back, he didn't want any of this to happen, but with Snow and Judy at each other, there was little he could do to intervene. Not even Honey was this stubborn.

The vixen stepped forward, eyes cold and determined to put an end to this mischief. "Put the weapon down, little bunny... and you won't get hurt."

Judy wouldn't have any of this. "I said back...OFF!"

The fox, closer than comfortable, sighed and bit hard into the iced treat she enjoyed moments ago. The look on her face reading 'They always want the hard way' before she tightened the grip on her shovel.

Before Judy could hope to fire, the white fox dashed towards her, running to her blind side as the weapon was too heavy to easily crane around. Judy pulled the trigger, firing the shot only to hear a 'tink' of a sound echoing from the plated metal shovel dropping to the ground with the vixen inches away. Silence rang through her ears as the weapon dropped all its own and she could see her reflection clearly in the sky blue eyes of the arctic fox.

No more than a second had passed when she felt the cold sting of Snow's jaws clamp down on her. Her whole body went numb. The feeling of fangs at her neck, forcing her to tremble. She felt something cold trickle down her neck as she went wide-eyed, gasping for a breath that refused to come. She felt her body being constricted as she tried to writhe and wriggle her way out of the fox's jaws only to feel the teeth press against her deeper. Terror shot through her, her ear burned and her eyes began to blur.

"Snow!" She heard through the muffled sound of her own screams and the fox's growls. A shifting of her body and sudden release of pressure around he neck, she could breathe again but was too shocked to want to.

"Now," She heard, feeling a hot and grotesque air at her shoulder. "I'm going to release you, and you'd better not try that again. Understood?"

Reflexively nodding to the sound, she felt herself fall to her paws to a shallow snowy surface below. She was lifted to a red set of paws bringing her up, a set of green eyes staring worriedly at her as she shook lightly, barely registering them.

She felt the same set of paws carefully apply light pressure to her neck, a huff of a breath and whisper of 'it's just her pawpsickle' assured her without panic.

"If you're here then you're a guest of ours," The vixen called out again, walking over to retrieve her shovel and looking back to them. "And our guests would be foolish to draw fire on us. Right?"

She felt a shifting just next to her as Nick nodded.

"Good." Snow replied, looking at the wolves. "Get them some hats and scarves."

Nick eyed them as the wall of canines saluted, each curling their paws and placing it over their hearts as they disbanded. None so much as making a peep when they disappeared down the hall.

The vixen stood, swishing her tail and watching them, turned to smile at the renard. "Now, we're going to pay Koslov a little visit, hmm?"

The doe trembling at his side, generally okay for now, he grinned back. "Sure thing, Snowfl-"

He knew he had made a mistake by going too far as the cold sting of metal was at his throat. He didn't even see her move before the sharp edge of the shovel was just below his collars. He daren't move.

Snow smiled warmly. "What fancy jewelry they gave you. Huh, Nicholas?" She asked, lifting the shovel slightly and scratching his neck with ice cold metal. "What time does your watch go off?"

He swallowed lightly, remembering the time and shrugging. "Twelve-thirty..."

The only response he received was the vixen flicking her ear as she turned around. "Bring me some ear muffs for our guests!" She shouted down the hallway before waving them forward and looking at the shuddering renard in the eye. "Oh would you relax, Nicholas? If Koslov wanted you dead, then I'd tell you so."

Still not reassured by the events, he nodded. Nick followed Snow back into the cold hallway, holding a dazed Judy at his side carefully. For now, at least, he hoped they were in good paws; Snow hadn't let him down before, and hopefully wouldn't let them die.

"In the insurmountable task I said 'Always bring a friend with you, make your differences work together!'"

Hello there, and welcome to the end notes! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far.

New Nick n' Finnick soon (hopefully this weekend) and ZPD: Zootopia Poltergeist Detainment as well.

And I hope you get a chance to read this and the other at your leisure. Also, these stories can be found here as well:

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Till Next Time

-DLW